Bárbara Guedes earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Porto's Faculty of Sciences in 2019, followed by a Master's degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2022. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in an internship project within the Phenotypic Evolution group (I3S) under the mentorship of Dr Jorge Vieira and Dr Cristina Vieira, where she identified and characterised chromosomal inversions in Drosophila montana, thereby enhancing her bioinformatics skills. Her academic progression continued with a Master's thesis supervised by Dr Sandra Quinteira and Dr Olga Lage at the Microbial Ecophysiology Lab (LEMUP). This project involved evaluating the microbiological quality and food safety of ready-to-eat oysters, assessing bacterial isolates' susceptibility to clinically relevant antibiotics, searching for antibiotic resistance genes, and identifying members of the Planctomycetota bacterial group, known for their resistance to multiple antibiotics and potential to disseminate resistance genes. Employing diverse methodologies, she developed expertise in data analysis and acquired substantial knowledge in microbiology, molecular biology, and cellular biology. After completing her MSc, Bárbara joined the food industry as an intern at Cogubelo, a company specialising in the cultivation and retail of exotic mushroom species. There, she expanded her understanding of industrial processes, with responsibilities including planning production studies to improve efficiency and reduce costs, conducting sterilisation tests, evaluating packaging solutions, and implementing pest control and hygiene protocols. She also contributed to planning an automated industrial line, conducted market inquiries to optimise quality and price, and ensured adherence to deadlines. During this internship, she supervised a high school student and provided instruction in various laboratory techniques. Bárbara is currently a first-year PhD student in the Microbiology and Biotechnology in Aquaculture (MBAqua) group at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto. Her research focuses on sustainable fish vaccination strategies to prevent and manage bacterial infections in aquaculture. Specifically, she develops next-generation oral vaccines employing Bacillus subtilis spores as innovative delivery vehicles (SporoVaccines). Furthermore, she explores the use of molecular adjuvants, a relatively novel approach in oral immunisation, to enhance immune responses and improve vaccine efficacy. By integrating SporoVaccines with molecular adjuvants, her work aims to optimise oral vaccine performance. This innovative strategy advances sustainable aquaculture by reducing antibiotic dependence, enhancing fish welfare, and supporting the production of safe, high-quality products. Bárbara's key scientific and technological achievements include 4peer-reviewed journal publications, 2 of which she authored as first author; 11 oral and poster presentations at national and international conferences; and co-supervision of 3 BSc students, with 2 currently ongoing.